KOCHI: Sabu Caiter has an unusual hobby, one that managed to find him a place in the Limca Book of Records this year. The native of North Paravur has a unique collection of rosaries, sourced from various parts of the world. Some, according to the owner, are even over 200 years old.
The 52-year-old says he fell in love with the concept of rosaries after his grandfather gifted him one in the year 1981. “He was on his deathbed and he wanted me to keep the rosary he used. It felt special and the idea to collect such rosaries struck me as unique,” he said.
So armed with connections with priests and nuns across the country and quite a few friends outside, Sabu has so far collected over 50,865 rosaries till date. He has so far received 90 different types of rosaries that were sourced from the Vatican itself. “When Pope John Paul II came to India, I went and visited him. When he learned about my love for rosaries, he also gifted me a beautiful rosary,” says Sabu.
The one gifted by Mother Teresa is among his personal favourites. “But the one that is really close to my heart is the relic beaded rosary gifted to me by my grandmother,” Sabu shares.
He has in possession a variety of rosaries including the ones made of copper, titanium, semi-precious stones and the ones made in medugorge in Bosnia among others.
“Last year, we received a rare collection of beautiful rosaries from Germany, one of which was manufactured in the year 1857. This was gifted to me when a priest and a group of his parishioners arrived in Kerala. The priest told me he had asked all his parishioners to bring in whatever rosaries they had in their possession. I was touched that they brought in some of the most beautiful ones which had hardly faced any wear and tear,” he said.
And this is what sets the rosaries manufactured in European countries and the USA much different from the ones madeand sold in India. “The rosaries in foreign countries bear certificates with the year it was manufactured. There are other set of rules that are followed in its making. Also, they last for a longer period,” he said.
So far, Sabu has conducted over 126 exhibitions across the country. To honour Sabu and his family for this rare passion, Pope Francis, the current Pope of the Catholic Church, send a gold medal, a letter and a rosary from the Vatican to the family.